T(fi 


Op   * — r       vf  —  isr-  c-t-'Z-^-C. 


3- 


0 
0 
0: 

6  I 
1  1 
1  j 

21 


ADDRESS 


o 


■  ONATHAN    STONE, 


MAYOR    OF    C  H  ARLESTOWN, 


TO      THE 


CITY    COU  NCIL, 


JANUARY  6,  1873. 


BOSTON: 
C.  G.  MACKENZIE,  PRINTER,   106    WASHINGTON  STREET 

1874. 


; 


ADDRESS 


JONATHAN    STONE, 


MAYOR    OF    CHARLESTOWN, 


TO      THE 


CITY    COUNCIL, 


JANUARY  6,  1873. 


BOSTON: 
C.  G.  MACKENZIE,  PRINTER,  106   WASHINGTON  STREET. 

1874. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

Microsoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/addressofjonathaOOstoniala 


ADDRESS. 


Gentlemen  of  the  City  Council  : 

We  are  here  assembled  to  organize  our  Municipal  Government 
for  1873.  The  year  just  terminated  has  been  one  of  general 
prosperity  to  our  citizens ;  it  has  left  no  monuments  of  desola- 
tion within  our  border  like  those  that  now  mark  our  sister  city, 
where  but  recently  stood  the  business  palaces  of  merchant  princ- 
es —  the  stately  warehouses  of  architectural  beauty  —  that  were 
the  pride  and  the  ornament  of  the  metropolis  of  our  State. 
But  notwithstanding  the  outward  signs  are  not  here,  yet  a  large 
number  of  our  citizens  were  sufferers  by  that  great  calamity, 
and  some  to  the  extent  of  the  accumulations  of  years  of  toil, 
industry  and  frugality.  May  all  such  be  encouraged  to  start 
anew  with  redoubled  energy  on  the  road  to  prosperity,  and  may 
their  efforts  be  crowned  with  more  than  ordinary  success,  and 
may  the  close  of  the  year  upon  which  we  have  just  entered 
find  all  our  constituents  in  a  better,  happier  and  more  prosperous 
condition  than  at  its  commencement. 

This  is  the  twenty-seventh  inaugural  ceremony  in  our  city. 
We  have  this  day  received  the  official  robes  of  municipal  office 
and  of  honor,  and  have  taken  an  oath  to  perform  faithfully  all 
the  duties  incumbent  upon  us  ;  may  we  be  duly  sensible  of  the 
importance  of  this  solemn  obligation.  Pardon  me,  gentlemen, 
if  I  refer  to  some  of  our  duties  and  responsibilities. 

I  regret  to  believe  that  there  is  a  very  general  feeling  in  the 
community  that  offices  of  the  present  day  are  often  filled  with 
those  who  seek  them,  either  for  the  honor  of  the  position,  or 


the  profit  to  be  derived  therefrom,  and  that  those  who  seek  them 
for  the  honor  care  little  for  the  duties,  while  those  who  seek  them 
for  profit  care  for  nothing  but  to  further  their  own  selfish  in- 
terests. It  is  under  the  management  of  such  rulers  that  our 
republican  form  of  government  is  becoming  distasteful  to  many 
of  our  best  citizens. 

I  beg  of  you,  each  and  ever}'  one,  that  you  will  so  perform  your 
duties  as  to  dispel  all  such  belief  and  distrust,  and  that  when 
our  term  of  service  is  ended  we  shall  so  have  discharged  them 
as  to  meet  the  approbation  of  all  reasonable  citizens,  and  feel 
within  our  hearts  an  honest  conviction  of  having  performed  to 
the  best  of  our  ability  all  the  duties  and  obligations  this  day 
assumed. 

I  therefore  counsel  you  to  examine  carefully  all  matters  that 
may  come  before  you  ;  act  not  hastily  in  your  appropriations, 
but  give  to  each  subject  the  consideration  its  importance  de- 
mands, remembering  that  the  prudent,  careful  man  is  more  certain 
of  success  than  the  reckless  ;  and,  above  all,  remember  that  you 
are  disbursing  the  people's  money,  of  which  you  should  be  more 
careful  and  prudent  than  of  your  own.  It  may  be  said  that  a  man 
has  a  right  to  do  as  he  pleases  with  his  own,  but  when  he  be- 
comes a  public  servant,  intrusted  with  the  public  treasure,  its 
reckless  or  extravagant  use  becomes  an  abuse  of  trust,  and  he  is 
liable  to  censure  if  not  to  penalties. 

We  have  a  very  small,  compact  city  ;  our  public  squares  are 
in  good  condition,  and  the  condition  of  our  streets,  schools,  fire 
department  and  sewers  will  compare  favorably  with  other  cities 
in  the  Commonwealth.  Our  water  works  are  paying  a  surplus 
over  running  expenses  and  interest  on  the  cost,  and,  with  good 
management  by  our  city  officials,  what  is  there  to  prevent  the 
finances  of  our  city  from  being  in  a  flourishing  and  prosperous 
condition.  I  hope  and  trust  that  our  debt  will  not  hereafter  be 
increased,  except  it  be  for  extraordinary  expenditures.  By  annu- 
ally paying  our  current  expenses,  and  placing  a  respectable  sum 
to  the  credit  of  the  sinking  fund,  our  city's  debt  would  be  gradu- 
ally diminished. 

I  will  now  call  your  attention  to  some  of  the  various  depart- 
ments of  the  city,  one  of  the  most  important  of  which  is  our 


5 

SCHOOLS. 

Education  —  this  word  opens  to  the  mind  a  vast  field  of 
thought ;  upon  it  depends  everything  for  good  or  evil — all  our 
moral,  social,  political  and  religious  relations  are  shaped  by  the 
education  we  receive  in  early  life.  Our  public  schools  instruct  us 
in  the  theoretical,  while  the  practical  part  is  learned  outside ;  and 
parents  sadly  err  when  they  expect  their  children  to  receive  all 
the  teaching  in  our  schools  necessary  to  fit  them  for  the  varied 
pursuits  and  vocations  of  practical  life. 

The  duties  of  parents  cannot  be  transferred  to  others ;  they 
must  themselves,  by  precept  and  by  example,  teach  at  home  the 
lessons  of  veneration,  love,  respect  for  truth,  habits  of  sobriety, 
honesty,  industry  and  economy.  Thus,  and  thus  alone,  can  the 
moral  education  keep  pace  with  the  intellectual,  and  the  heart  as 
well  as  the  head  be  fitted  for  the  duties  of  mature  years.  When 
education  at  home  and  education  at  school  combine,  and  in  the 
right  direction,  we  may  expect  to  see  the  rising  generation  be- 
come useful  citizens,  and  the  appropriations  so  liberally  made  for 
our  schools  prove  one  of  our  best  investments. 

The  appropriation  last  year,  including  the  amount  received 
from  the  State,  was  $128,141. 

The  financial  year  not  terminating  until  March  next,  the  exact 
amount  that  will  be  expended  is  not  yet  known ;  but  if  we  ex- 
amine our  official  reports,  and  take  the  years  1866  and  1871,  a 
five  year  period,  we  find  these  facts  and  figures,  which  deserve 
attention : 

Expenditures  for  salaries,  fuel  and  contingencies  for  our  schools 

for  the  financial  year  ending  February,  1866 $58,562 

Expense  for  same  for  the  year  ending  February,  187 1 ioi>337 

Average  number  of  pupils  attending  schools  March  1,  1 866 4.194 

"  "  "  "  *«  1S71 5,016 

Increase  of  pupils,  20  per  cent. 

"  expenditures,  73  per  cent. 

Money  for  this  department  must  be  liberally  appropriated,  and 
should  be  judiciously  and  economically  expended. 

Our  schoolhouses  should  be  durably  and  conveniently  con- 
structed, avoiding  all  those  "  extras  "  which  add  largely  to  the 


6 

<*xpense,  without  adding  to  the  convenience  or  comfort.  During 
the  last  year  the  Harvard  grammer  schoolhouse  was  completed 
at  a  total  cost  of  $130,285.60  ;  cost  of  building,  $92,000.  Cam- 
bridge has  recently  built  a  new  schoolhouse,  also  called  the  Har- 
vard, a  very  fine,  substantial,  good  looking  building,  and  which 
will  seat  more  scholars,  and  is  in  every  way  as  good  a  building 
as  ours,  at  a  cost  of  $56,000,  showing  there  might  have  been 
saved  about  $36,000  on  this  one  building.  We  shall  soon  require 
a  new  grammar  schoolhouse  in  Ward  Two,  and  when  this  is  built, 
and  the  old  Winthrop  remodelled  into  primary  and  intermediate 
schools,  I  think  we  shall  have  all  the  large  school  buildings  re- 
quired for  our  limited  territory. 

THE    PUBLIC    LIBRARY. 

Our  public  library  is  a  source  of  pleasure  to  the  reading  com- 
munity, and  I  trust  it  is  also  of  profit,  by  imparting  to  the  mind 
valuable  information  and  knowledge.  Its  usefulness  depends 
much  upon  the  character  of  its  books.  An  annual  appropriation 
for  this  institution  has  become  a  necessity,  and,  as  it  is  in  charge 
of  competent  trustees,  I  do  not  doubt  your  appropriation  will  be 
wisely  expended. 

FIRE    DEPARTMENT. 

Last  year  the  fire  department  was  changed  from  a  volunteer, 
or  partially  paid,  to  a  paid  department,  so  called.  A  large 
amount  of  money  was  expended  in  the  change,  and  an  extra  an- 
nual appropriation  of  over  $10,000  will  be  required  to  support 
it.  There  is  a  doubt  in  the  minds  of  many  whether  we  shall  ever 
receive  benefits  equal  to  the  additional  cost.  We  had  a  very  effi- 
cient department  under  the  old  system,  and  it  remains  to  be  seen 
whether  it  is  to  be  improved  under  the  new. 

Total  number  of  alarms  last  year 49 

"     amount  of  loss  by  fire $76,965 

"     insurance 61,735 

Net  loss $1 5,230 

The  apparatus  used  consists  of  two  steam  fire  engines,  four 
hose  carriages,  one  hook  and  ladder  truck,  all  in  good  order. 


The  department  consists  of  steamer's  company,  15  men  ;  4  hose 
companies,  13  men  each,  52  men ;  hook  and  ladder  com- 
pany, 23  men ;  chief  and  4  assistant  engineers  and  1  spare  dri- 
ver— 96  men  in  all.  For  further  information  concerning  the  de- 
partment I  refer  you  to  the  engineers'  annual  report 

HEALTH. 

Few  cities  in  this  Commonwealth  can  claim  a  more  healthy 
locality  or  a  less  percentage  of  mortality  than  ours.  The  whole 
number  of  deaths  during  the  past  year  was  769  ;  of  these  17  were 
at  the  State  Prison,  8  were  accidental,  and  39  died  of  small  pox. 

SMALL    POX. 

This  loathsome  disease  is  making  us  a  visit — it  reaches  all 
localities  and  all  classes.  The  highest  number  of  cases  at  any 
one  time  during  the  year  was  70,  at  the  present  time  36,  showing 
it  to  be  on  the  decrease.  It  may  be  necessary  to  procure  a  com- 
fortable building  in  some  place  remote  from  other  dwellings, 
where  the  worst  cases  may  be  carried  and  comfortably  cared  for 
without  the  exposure  of  others.  I  hope  you  will  give  the  mat- 
ter such  attention  as  its  importance  demands,  not  in  any  way 
creating  excitement  or  undue  alarm,  but  by  studying  the  best 
mode  of  treating  it,  and  then  pursue  the  course  your  judgment 
dictates.  I  am  fully  satisfied  that  the  most  effectual  remedy  is 
thorough  vaccination,  and  I  consider  any  one  who  neglects  or 
refuses  to  be  vaccinated  guilty  of  great  injustice  to  himself  and 
to  the  community  in  which  he  resides. 

POLICE. 

Our  police  department  is  represented  to  be  in  good  condition, 
and  its  force  efficient,  all  of  which  I  have  no  reason  to  doubt 
The  increase  in  the  expenses  of  this  department  for  the  last  six 
years  has  been  very  great. 

Tt  cost  for  the  year  ending  February,  1866 $15,100 

"  "  "  "  1871 4I»733 

1872 42,063 


8 

It  will  be  your  duty  to  look  into  the  condition  of  this  depart- 
ment and  see  if  there  cannot  be  made  some  retrenchment,  with- 
out impairing  the  force  required  for  the  preservation  of  order 
and  the  protection  of  our  citizens.  The  whole  force  now  consists 
of  one  chief,  one  captain,  one  lieutenant,  two  truant  officers  and 
31  policemen — 36  in  all.  The  whole  number  of  committals  to 
the  station  the  last  year  was  1956 ;  of  these  379  were  for  lodgings 
only,  810  for  drunkenness,  and  767  for  other  offences;  619  were 
before  the  Police  Court  and  fined  or  imprisoned,  241  committed 
to  the  House  of  Correction,  and  24  to  the  State  Asylum  at  Wor- 
cester. 

The  Chief  of  Police  suggest  the  appointment  of  two  more 
day  officers,  making  seven  in  all,  and  making  them  all  truant 
officers,  thereby  dispensing  with  the  two  specials.  This  change 
would  make  the  force  more  efficient,  by  having  the  services  of  all 
the  men  full  time,  while  the  present  specials  are  only  on  duty 
about  two-thirds  of  the  time.  The  suggestion  is  worthy  of  con- 
sideration. 

ALMSHOUSE. 

The  inmates  of  the  almshouse  on  the  first  of  January,  1872, 
numbered  48 ;  admitted  during  the  year  46,  36  as  lodgers,  3 
under  sentence,  and  2  births,  making  a  total  for  the  year  of  135. 
Discharged  76,  died  9,  leaving  the  present  number  50,  of  whom 
14  are  chargeable  to  other  cities  and  towns,  9  serving  out  sen- 
tence or  at  work  for  their  board,  and  27  a  legal  charge  upon  the 
city.  The  general  health  for  persons  of  this  class  has  been  good. 
The  deaths  were  of  those  far  advanced  in  age,  or  of  impaired 
health  when  admitted.  The  superintendent  and  matron  have 
fully  sustained  their  reputation  in  making  this  house  a  Home  for 
its  inmates,  so  far  as  any  institution  of  this  kind  can  be  made  a 
home.  The  whole  number  of  families  receiving  outside  assist- 
ance was  553  ;  of  this  number  177  are  chargeable  to  other  cities 
and  towns ;  237  have  no  legal  settlement  in  the  State,  leaving 
139  entitled  to  support  from  this  city.  Up  to  October  1,  1872, 
we  have  paid  $2,172.71  for  support  of  21  persons  in  the  insane 
hospitals ;  3  died  during  the  year,  leaving  the  present  number 
18.     The  appropriation  for  the  support  of  the  poor  for  1872  was 


9 

$12,000,  of  which  $6,057.48  is  unexpended,  probably  sufficient 
for  the  present  financial  year. 

As  the  law  now  stands,  any  soldier  who  served  one  year  or 
more  in  the  late  war,  as  part  of  the  quota  of  any  city  or  town, 
has  a  legal  claim  on  that  city  or  town  for  support  in  case  of  des- 
titution or  want.  I  am  informed  that  we  have  no  accurate  list  of 
those  who  filled  our  quota.  I  think  such  a  list  should  be  pre- 
pared that  could  be  used  for  either  practical  or  historical  pur- 
poses, as  necessity  or  convenience  may  require. 

STREETS. 

To  judge  from  the  amount  of  money  expended  upon  our 
streets  for  the  last  three  years  they  should  be  in  a  most  perfect 
condition.  Reports  show  that  there  was  paid  on  street  accounts 
for  paving,  grading,  cleaning  and  repairing,  after  deducting 
credits  for  sidewalk  assessments,  the  following  amounts : 

For  the  year  ending  February,  1870 $61,433  59 

1871 141,81858 

"  "  •*  1872 "9»XS7  59 

The  financial  year  ending  187 1  shows  an  expenditure  upon 
our  streets  of  $141,818,  or  a  much  larger  amount  than  the  entire 
appropriation  for  municipal  expenses  for  the  year  186 1 ;  and  for 
the  year  1872  of  $119,157.  These  amounts  do  not  include  one 
dollar  which  was  expended  on  laying  out  and  widening  streets, 
expenditures  which  were  in  about  the  same  ratio  ;  but  to  deter- 
mine the  amount  from  the  printed  reports,  with  awards,  credits  for 
betterments,  abatements,  &c,  &c,  carried  along  from  year  to 
year,  would  require  the  skill  of  a  very  competent  accountant  I 
therefore  confine  my  illustrations  and  comparisons  to  such  items 
as  are  apparent  to  any  one  making  the  examination.  Suppose 
we  go  back  ten  years  and  make  some  examination  for  precisely 
the  same  items  of  expense  for  streets,  and  what  is  the  result : 

For  the  year  ending  February,  1862,  they  cost $10,751 

"            1863,  "  11,489 

"              "                   "            1864,  "  15,221 

1865,  »  13,549 

"              "                   "            1866,  "  10,902 

"              "                   "            1867,  " 19,032 

1868,  "  29,953 

1869,  "  35.993 

Total $146,890 


10 

It  thus  appears  that  for  the  eight  years  from  1862  to  1869  in- 
clusive it  cost  but  $5,072  more  than  for  the  single  year  of  187 1 ! 
Has  the  city  had  a  fair  equivalent  for  this  large  expenditure  since 
1870,  and  if  not,  who  is  accountable  for  the  waste?  It  would 
seem  that  a  reform  in  this  department  is  imperatively  de- 
manded, and  should  be  commenced  without  delay.  I  suggest 
that  a  suitable  place  be  prepared  on  the  city's  lot  at  the  junction 
of  Elm  with  Medford  street,  and  that  the  city  purchase  and  de- 
posit upon  it  all  paving  material  required,  and  have  the  work  of 
paving  done  by  men  employed  by  the  day,  until  such  time  as 
sufficient  competition  for  this  kind  of  work  appears  in  the  mar- 
ket to  give  assurance  that  the  city  can  contract  for  it  at  fair 
paying  prices.     In  this  item  a  large  saving  ought  to  be  made. 

The  present  method  of  carting  and  paying  for  gravel  used 
upon  our  streets  has  proved  very  expensive,  as  well  as  discredit- 
able to  any  party  having  control  of  the  business,  and  should  at 
once  be  corrected.  It  is  estimated  that  the  cost  for  removal  of 
ashes  and  rubbish  from  the  streets  in  1872  was  about  $7,000. 
If  this  estimate  be  correct,  has  this  work  been  economically  per- 
formed? I  find  that  in  1862  the  same  work  was  done  by  contract, 
and  that  the  amount  paid  was  $850  ;  in  1863,  $900  ;  in  1864,  $1,- 
000 ;  while  in  1870  it  cost  over  $7,000,  without  including  what  was 
done  by  the  city's  teams.  Under  proper  management  there  is 
but  little  doubt  that  a  large  saving  in  this  item  can  be  made. 

Medford  street  has  become  one  of  our  most  important  business 
streets  ;  a  portion  of  it  was  paved  last  year,  and  an  equal  extent 
should  be  paved  each  year  until  the  whole  is  completed.  Bun- 
ker Hill  street  from  Green  down  is  unsafe  for  travel,  owing  to  its 
having  too  much  crown.  I  would  recommend  that  the  sidewalk 
and  gutters  be  raised.  School  street  from  High  to  Main  street 
is  in  an  unfinished  state,  and  will  require  attention.  Recent  ex- 
perience in  the  laying  out  of  new  and  the  widening  of  old  streets 
has  been  sufficiently  expensive  to  teach  us  a  lesson  not  easily 
forgotten. 

Some  of  the  new  streets  have  been  laid  out  over  vacant  land 
that  required  the  streets  in  order  to  use  the  land  to  advantage, 
and  were  therefore  purely  of  a  private  nature,  and  yet  the  city 
paid  the  full  value  for  the  land  taken.     Such  was  the  case  in  the 


II 

extension  of  Monument  street ;  a  street  of  only  about  400  feet 
in  length  costing  for  the  land  and  grading  over  $12,000.  Other 
cases  might  be  cited.  There  are  grave  doubts  whether  this  and 
similar  streets,  that  have  been  laid  out  and  paid  for  by  the  city, 
are  such  as  public  necessity  and  convenience  require. 

The  "  betterment  law  "  as  it  has  been  applied  has  been  yery 
expensive.  There  are  but  few  instances  where  an  attempt  should 
be  made  to  enforce  it,  and  in  all  such  its  provisions  should  be 
strictly  observed,  so  as  to  realize  all  anticipated  benefits.  Thus 
far  the  law  has  proved  a  very  expensive  machine,  as  managed  by 
our  authorities. 

OUR   BRIDGES. 

We  seem  to  be  unequally  and  unjustly  burdened  with  expen- 
sive bridges,  which  are  five  in  number.  We  are  required  to  pay 
one  half  for  the  maintenance  of  the  Charles  River  and  Warren 
bridges  connecting  us  with  Boston.  For  this  charge  the  com- 
missioners' requisition  upon  our  treasury  for  the  present  financial 
year  amounted  to  $39,000,  which  was  mainly  expended  on  Warren 
bridge  [in  widening  and  constructing  a  draw  and  piers,  bulk- 
heads, paving  and  general  repairs,  and  its  condition  should  now 
be  such  as  to  require  no  further  outlay  upon  it  for  many  years  to 
come.  Charles  River  bridge  is  reported  to  be  in  good  condition, 
except  the  draw,  which  has  been  a  constant  source  of  annoyance 
and  expense  ever  since  it  was  built,  as  an  experiment  by  inex- 
perienced and  unskilful  hands. 

Of  the  3100  feet  of  Chelsea  bridge  it  has  been  decreed  that 
Charlestown  shall  support  192 1,  or  more  than  three-fifths.  This 
bridge  is  old  and  in  a  dilapidated  condition,  and  will  soon  re- 
quire rebuilding.  The  charter  of  the  Mystic  River  Corporation 
requires  it  to  fill  in  and  make  solid  the  territory  now  enclosed 
by  its  walls,  within  the  next  six  years.  Perhaps  some  equitable 
arrangement  can  be  made  with  the  parties  interested  to  have 
that  part  under  the  bridge  which  includes  about  1300  lineal  feet 
made  solid  by  filling  at  an  earlier  day. 

A  new  draw  and  piers  have  recently  been  constructed  for 
Maiden  bridge.  This  bridge  also  requires  very  general  repairs, 
and  it  should  be  properly  lighted.  For  its  support  this  city  pays 
25  per  cent,  of  the  cost  under  the  apportionment  and  order  of  the 
County  Commissioners. 


ii 

A  part  of  Prison  Point  bridge,  so  called,  is  a  charge  upon  this 
city,  but  I  am  not  informed  of  any  important  repairs  required 
upon  it. 

WATER    WORKS. 

Within  the  last  two  years  there  have  been  added  to  the  con- 
struction account  of  the  water  works  the  following  items : 

For  a  new  engine  and  boilers $73>345  36 

"    enlargement  of  engine  house  and  extension  of  grounds  . . .       33,727  43 
"     new  force  main  pipe 9,874  1 7 

Total $1 16,947  96 

The  total  cost  of  constructing  water  works  to  the  present  time 
is  $1,460,397.67.  During  the  year  a  16  inch  main  has  been  laid 
in  Canal  street,  from  Mill  to  Richmond  street,  also  mains  in 
other  streets  of  this  city  and  in  the  town  of  Everett,  where  200 
service  pipes  are  already  entered.  The  present  pumping  capac- 
ity is  equal  to  18,000,000  gallons  each  twenty-four  hours ;  daily 
consumption  6,000,000,  showing  ample  pumping  capacity  until 
the  consumption  is  more  than  double  the  quantity  at  present  used. 

Amount  of  water  rates  for  the  year  1872 $202,000 

Cost  of  maintenance $57,000 

Interest  to  Dec.  1st,  1872 74,453 

$131,453 

Surplus $70,547 

The  increase  derived  from  water  rates  over  the  cost  of  main- 
tenance, improvement  and  interest  on  the  debt  must  be  applied 
to  the  reduction  of  the  debt,  and  cannot  legally  be  used  for  any 
other  purpose.  It  thus  appears  that  the  surplus  receipts  for  the 
year  1872  amount  to  about  $70,000,  and  these  are  likely  to  be 
increased  from  year  to  year,  and  must  be  added  to  the  sinking 
fund  for  the  extinguishment  of  the  debt.  As  the  works  are  re- 
ported to  be  in  excellent  condition,  with  these  surplus  receipts, 
that  can  be  used  for  any  extension  or  improvement  necessary,  I 
cannot  see  why  the  construction  account  may  not  now  be  closed. 

I  understand  the  subject  of  drainage,  to  protect  Mystic  Pond 
from  any  impurities,  is  under  consideration  by  the  water  board, 
and  will  receive  that  attention  its  importance  demands.  An  ex- 
amination of  the  report  of  the  Mystic  Water  Board  will  give  in 
detail  all  the  information  desired  in  regard  to  the  works. 


13 

I  recommend  for  your  consideration,  and  as  a  saving  to  the 
city,  that  a  building  suitable  for  a  carpenter's  shop  be  erected  on 
the  lot  of  land  at  the  corner  of  Tufts  and  Medford  streets,  now 
occupied  in  part  by  the  water  board,  and  that  a  carpenter,  with 
assistants  if  required,  be  employed  to  do  the  repairing  and  job- 
bing on  the  city's  buildings,  also  for  the  water  board,  or  in 
any  department  where  such  services  are  required.  I  find  that 
for  the  year  ending  February,  1872,  over  $6,000  was  paid  for 
labor  and  stock  used  in  repairs,  not  including  any  payments  on 
the  water  account,  which  would  add  largely  to  this  amount,  and 
not  including  $447  paid  for  cesspool  covers.  By  purchasing  the 
material,  and  employing  a  competent  workman  to  use  it  to  the 
best  advantage,  I  think  a  respectable  saving  of  the  city's  money 
would  be  the  result. 

FINANCE. 

It  is  as  important  to  a  city  as  to  an  individual  to  have  a  good 
financial  record.  Ours  is  such  that  I  have  deferred  it  to  the  last, 
and  would  now  willingly  pass  over  it  unnoticed  did  I  not  consider 
it  incumbent  upon  me  to  call  your  attention  to  its  magnitude. 
Reports  show  that  on  March  1,  1872,  our  water  debt  was  $1,357,- 
000.  This  amount  has  been  increased  the  past  year  $103,000, 
but,  as  has  been  previously  shown,  this  debt,  with  our  surplus 
water  receipts,  is  in  a  fair  way  to  take  care  of  itself. 

By  the  estimate  of  the  City  Treasurer  I  find  that  the  munici- 
pal debt,  so  called  because  it  does  not  include  the  water 
debt,  was,  January  1,  1873 $1,205,547  05 

Deduct  amount  standing  to  credit  of  sinking  fund 99>78o.  71 

And  we  find  the  present  municipal  debt  to  be $1,105,757  34 

Net  municipal  debt  March  1,  1870 668,353  47 

Net  increase  in  two  years  and  ten  months $437,403  87 

It  thus  appears  that  in  the  last  thirty-four  months  there  has 
been  a  net  increase  in  our  municipal  debt  of  $437,403.87,  or 
equal  to  an  increase  of  sixty-five  per  cent,  on  the  entire  accumu- 
lations of  all  our  municipal  indebtedness  from  the  day  of  the  set- 
tlement of  this  ancient  town  up  to  March  1st,  1870,  with  all 
our  war  expenses  included.  During  this  thirty-four  months 
period,  has  there  been  any  diminution  in  favor  of  our  citizens  in 
the  amount  of  tax  assessed  ?     Let  us  examine.     It  is  said  that 


u 

the  valuation  of  property  has  been  increased  to  nearly  or  quite 
its  full  market  value,  and  the  rate  of  taxation  has  been  as  fol- 
lows: 

For  the  year  1870, rate  $16.00  on  $1000 

"         1871, "       15,20"      " 

"        "         1872, "       15,40"      " 

While  for  twenty  years  prior  to  1864,  a  period  including  three 
years  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  when  our  extraordinary  ex- 
penses were  large,  the  rate,  with  one  year's  exception,  neveY 
exceeded  $10.00,  and  the  average  was  but  $9.00.  The  amount 
raised  by  taxation  during  this  thirty-four  months  period  was  as 
follows : 

For  the  year  1870,  amount  raised $463,495 

"        "         1871,      "           "       500,915 

1872,      "           "       556.213 

Add  increase  of  debt 437,403 

Which  makes $1,958,026 

Deduct  for  3  years  State  and  County  Tax 190,365 

And  we  have  an  expenditure  for  municipal  purposes  only  of $1,767,661 

Do  not  the  above  figures  show  a  very  liberal  assessment,  and 
has  this  amount  been  judiciously  and  economically  expended  ? 
The  recent  emphatic  verdict  of  the  people  in  condemnation  of 
this  record  was  decidedly  in  the  negative.  I  have  presented 
you  with  the  figures  in  gross,  trusting  that  your  committees  will 
take  the  different  items  of  expense  up  in  detail,  and  find  wherein 
there  has  been  waste,  extravagance  or  expenditures  not  warranted, 
that  such  abuses  may  be  hereafter  avoided  and  Reform  com- 
menced, that  the  financial  account  to  be  closed  in  February,  1874, 
may  exhibit  a  more  satisfactory  result. 

In  our  city  charter  may  be  found  this  provision  of  law :  "  No 
board  or  committee  of  the  city  council,  or  of  either  branch  thereof, 
shall  make  any  contract  on  behalf  of  and  binding  upon  the  city, 
the  amount  of  which  contract  shall  exceed  the  specific  appropria- 
tion of  the  city  council  previously  made  therefor."  There  is  also  a 
general  provision  of  law  as  follows :  "  No  member  of  the  city 
council  of  any  city,  or  either  branch  thereof,  or  any  officer 
chosen  or  appointed  by  the  Mayor,  city  council  or  either  branch 
thereof,  or  by  the  legal  voters,  shall  be  interested  in  a  private 


15 

capacity,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  in  any  contract  or  agree- 
ment for  labor,  or  any  materials,  goods,  wares  or  merchandise, 
furnished  to  such  city,  wherein  said  city  is  a  party  interested." 

These  provisions  were  enacted  as  safeguards  to  your  treasury, 
and  had  they  been  duly  observed  I  cannot  doubt  that  the  debt 
of  our  city  would  have  been  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  million 
dollars  less  than  it  is  to-day. 

CONCLUSION. 

Gentlemen  of  the  City  Council: 

We  are  now  about  to  separate,  each  Board  to  its  allotted  chamber, 
there  to  commence  the  administration  of  municipal  affairs  for  the 
current  year.  Let  us  study  to  make  ourselves  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted with  the  laws  and  ordinances  under  which  we  are  to  act, 
and  let  them  be  our  guide,  notwithstanding  there  may  be  those 
endowed  with  more  than  ordinary  wisdom,  combined  with  supe- 
rior legal  acquirements,  who  may  think  they  are  unconstitutional. 
Yet  until  so  decreed  by  the  proper  tribunal,  let  them  be  consci- 
entiously observed,  as  any  other  course  would  establish  a  very 
dangerous  precedent  for  a  community  desirous  that  law  and 
order  should  be  the  rule. 

Once  more  I  call  your  attention  to  the  importance  of  giving 
due  consideration  to  all  questions  that  may  come  before  you, 
especially  to  the  requisite  appropriations  for  necessary  expenses  ; 
they  should  be  liberal  but  not  extravagant,  and  when  the  amount 
is  finally  determined,  should  not  be  exceeded.  Pardon  me  if  I 
also  suggest  to  those  who  are  to  constitute  the  committee  on 
accounts,  the  necessity  of  having  all  the  provisions  of  law  and 
ordinance  complied  with,  before  any  claim  against  the  city  re- 
ceives approval,  as  I  shall  withhold  my  signature  from  all  drafts 
for  money  from  the  treasury  for  bills  contracted  or  contracts 
made  in  violation  of  city  ordinances  or  statute  law. 

We  are  here  to-day  not  from  our  choice,  but  by  the  votes  of 
the  people  irrespective  of  personal  regard,  political  preferences, 
or  clique  influence,  and  they  demand  an  honest  administration 
of  municipal  affairs.  To  secure  this  paramount  object  they  ex- 
pect, in  the  appointment  of  your  subordinates,  selections  to  be 
made  only  from  men  known  to  be  competent,  faithful,  energetic, 
and  above  all  —  honest. 


Charlestown   City  Government,   1873. 


•t««i« 


MA  YOR. 

JONATHAN    STONE. 

ALDERMEN. 


WARD  I. 

Philander  S.  Briggs. 
Nelson  Bartlett. 
Richard  Power. 


ward  2. 

George  M.  Starbird. 
John  B.  Norton. 
Alfred  D.  Hoitt. 


ward  3. 

Edward  T.  Rand. 
Jasper  Stone. 
William   E.  Jarvis. 


COMMON  COUNCIL. 


Ethan  N.  Cob  urn,  President. 


WARD  I. 
James  F.  Dacey. 
Francis  E.  Downer. 
Eugene  Sullivan. 
Thaddeus  Richardson. 
Ezra  J.  Trull. 
Wm.  S.  Harris. 


ward  2. 

Ethan  N.  Coburn. 
James  White. 
Sampson  Warren. 
John  H.  Gibbs. 
John  F.  Finley. 
Thomas  Parker. 


ward  3. 

Enos  Varnky. 
Charles  Curtis. 
Sam'l  R.  Brintnall. 
Charles  C.  Perkins. 
James  H.  Vivian.    * 
Richard  Gea«.    "(aay^£. 


VALEDICTORY  ADDRESS, 

DELIVERED  JAJV.  2,  1874- 


Alderman  Briggs  offered  the  following  Resolve  : 

CITY     OF    CHARLESTOWN. 

In  Beard  of  Mayor  and  Aldermen. 

January  2d,  1874. 

Whereas,  our  official  labors  are  now  brought  to  a  close,  this  seems  to 
be  a  proper  occasion  for  members  of  this  Board  to  express  the  high  opinion 
which  they  entertain  of  the  ability,  fidelity  and  unremitting  labors  which 
His  Honor  the  Mayor  has  displayed  in  the  discharge  of  the  various  duties 
appertaining  to  his  office  :  therefore 

Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  this  Board  be  presented  to  His  Honor 
Jonathan  Stone  for  the  eminent  services  he  has  rendered  to  the  city,  for 
his  uniform  devotion  to  its  interests,  and  for  the  promptness  which  has 
marked  the  performance  of  his  numerous  and  perplexing  duties  whereby  the 
deliberations  of  the  Board  have  been  greatly  assisted,  and  the  labors  of  its 
individual  members  have  been  very  much  relieved. 


The  Resolve  was  passed  by  the  unanimous  vote  of  the  Board  of  Alder- 
men as  follows  : 

Philander  S.  Briggs, 
Nelson  Bartlett, 
Richard  Power, 
v  George  M.  Starbird, 

John  B.  Norton, 
Alfred  D.  Hoitt, 
Wm.  E.  Jarvis, 
Edward  T.  Rand, 
Jasper  Stone. 


YALEDICTORY  ADDRESS. 


Gentlemen  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen: 

I  thank  you  for  the  kind  expressions  embodied  in  the  re- 
solve which  you  have  unanimously  passed,  and  the  very  flattering 
remarks  of  the  members  of  the  Board.  This  night  closes  the 
year  of  our  official  duties,  and  I  have  reason  to  be  very  thankful 
to  you  for  the  kind  and  courteous  bearing  towards  me  through  the 
year  we  have  been  associated  together,  and  if  I  have  said  or 
done  anything  that  was  unkind  or  harsh  while  presiding  over 
your  deliberations  I  hope  you  will  pardon  me,  for  I  assure  you 
it  was  not  my  intention  to  say  or  do  anything  to  injure  any  one's 
feelings,  but  to  promote  what  I  believed  to  be  the  best  interests 
of  the  city. 

If  you  will  bear  with  me  a  few  moments  I  wish  to  review  and 
touch  upon  some  of  our  official  doings  the  past  year.  The  year 
just  closed  has  been  one  of  general  prosperity  to  our  citizens ; 
no  great  calamity  has  befallen  us  ;  we  have  been  wonderfully  for- 
tunate with  regard  to  fires,  and  there  have  been  very  few  burglar- 
ies or  robberies. 

When  we  entered  upon  our  duties  one  year  ago  the  small  pox 
was  prevailing  to  an  alarming  extent  An  appropriation  of 
$7,000  had  been  made  about  two  months  previous,  and  placed  in 
the  hands  of  the  committee  on  health.  I  found  that  about  $4,000 
had  been  spent  and  very  little  accomplished.  Accounts  had 
been  opened  with  most  of  the  stores  in  the  city,  and  charity  was 
being  dispensed  through  a  new  channel  (the  Chief  of  Police). 
Very  large  bills  were  coming  in  from  apothecaries  for  articles 
which  should  have  been  bought  by  the  quantity  at  90  per 
cent,  less  than  was  being  paid.     Numerous  doctors  were  being 


employed  to  do  the  work  of  the  City  Physician  ;  two  men  were 
employed  at  $10  a  day  to  burn  furniture,  bedding,  &c,  in- 
fected ;  a  large  force  of  special  police  was  employed  to  watch 
houses  and  distribute  charity,  and,  in  fact,  a  great  deal  was  being 
done  in  the  way  of  spending  money,  and  very  little  accomplish- 
ed in  stopping  the  spread  of  the  disease.  I  commenced  reform 
by  discharging  the  two  furniture  destroyers  and  bed  burners  who 
were  receiving  $10  a  day,  and  employed  one  at  $3  per  day, 
with  orders  to  destroy  no  goods  unless  by  consent  and  order  of 
the  owner,  or  by  order  of  the  Board  of  Health.  I  stopped  the 
purchasing  of  sulphur  and  acid  in  small  quantities,  and  bought 
in  large  ;  I  discharged  the  special  police,  stopped  the  dispensing 
of  charity  except  through  the  proper  departments,  stopped  the 
employing  of  extra  doctors,  told  the  City  Physician  he  must  do 
his  duty  according  to  the  ordinance*  and  brought  the  whole  mat- 
ter down  to  a  business  transaction. 

The  next  thing  to  be  done  was  to  procure  a  place  for  a  hospi- 
tal. Fortunately,  while  we  were  looking  around  for  a  situation, 
the  burial  ground  flats,  which  certain  parties  had  sought  to  filch 
from  the  city,  had  been  restored  by  order  of  the  Supreme  Court. 
This  was  selected,  and  we  commenced  the-,  erection  of  a  hospi- 
tal, which  was  finished,  furnished  and  ready  for  occupancy  on 
the  13th  day  of  February,  nine  days  after  it  was  commenced. 
The  entire  cost  of  the  building  and  furnishing  was  $2,980.30. 
This  used  up  the  balance  of  the  $7,000  previously  appropriated, 
which  amount  would  have  been  used  up  in  the  same  length  of 
time  without  building  a  hospital  had  there  been  no  change  in 
the  management  of  affairs.  The  worst  cases  of  small  pox,  and 
those  which  could  not  be  properly  cared  for  at  their  own  homes, 
were  removed  to  the  hospital ;  and  on  the   1st  day  of  April, 

1873,  there  was  not  a  single  case  outside  of  the  hospital,  and 
only  three  cases  in  the  hospital. 

Our  appropriations  were  made  for  the  financial  year  ending 
Feb'y  28th,  1874,  amounting  to  $497,275.  This  includes  $30,- 
000  for  paving  Medford  street,  and  $15,000  paid  into  the  sinking 
fund  j  and  I  am  happy  to  state  that  our  appropriations  were 
ample  to  have  carried  us  through  the  year  ending  February  28th, 

1874,  if  we  had  retained  our  independence,  something  that  has 


5 

not  happened  for  a  great  many  years,  if  ever  before  in  the  his- 
tory of  this  city.  On  the  contrary,  we  have  raised  $15,000  and 
placed  it  to  the  credit  of  the  sinking  fund,  and  received  from 
Water  Works,  over  all  expenditures,  the  amount  of  $41,241.95, 
also  interest  from  money  belonging  to  sinking  funds  to  the 
amount  of  $6,692.73,  making  in  all  $62,938.68  actual  reduction 
of  city  debt.  Our  taxes  are  also  20  cents  per  $1,000  less  than  in 
1872,  when  our  debt  was  increased  $139,000,  which  sum,  if 
added  to  the  appropriation  of  that  year,  and  assessed,  would 
have  made  the  tax  about  four  dollars  per  $1,000  higher  than  in 
the  year  1873  just  closed. 

There  was  an  item  of  $i 0,000  in  our  last  appropriation  bill 
for  laying  out  streets.  We  have  spent  only  about  $2,000  for 
work  laid  out  the  last  year;  the  balance,  about  $8,000,  has 
been  spent  in  settling  old  claims  for  land  damage  caused  by 
the  work  of  previous  years,  where  the  parties  who  received  this 
money  were  benefitted  by  laying  out  the  streets,  and  would  have 
given  the  land  or  flats,  and  perhaps  paid  money  to  have  had  the 
streets  laid  out,  if  the  business  had  been  properly  done.  When 
the  streets  were  laid  out,  the  owners  were  asked  if  they  would 
give  the  land.  This  they  consented  to ;  but  no  release  was 
taken,  and  after  the  streets  were  finished  they  demanded  pay, 
commenced  suits  against  the  city,  and  recovered  large  amounts. 
There  are  more  claims  of  the  same  class  now  in  court. 

Medford  street  has  been  paved  from  Walnut  to  Cook  street, 
at  a  cost  of  $3.40  per  square  yard.  Last  year  it  cost  $3.90  for 
the  same  kind  of  work,  a  saving  of  50  cents  a  yard,  or  about 
$4,000,  on  the  work  performed  this  year.  The  following  streets 
have  been  covered  with  the  top  dressing  or  macadamize  from 
Medford  street,  viz. :  Canal,  Richmond,  Alford,  Gray,  Henley, 
School,  Adams,  Maiden  bridge,  and  a  portion  of  several  other 
streets. 

Monument  street,  from  Bunker  Hill  to  Medford  street,  has 
been  cut  down  and  properly  graded.  Edgestones  have  been 
set,  and  gutters  paved,  in  Monument,  Henley,  School  and  several 
other  streets.  School  street  has  also  been  graded  and  put  in 
good  condition. 

A  very  important  straightening  (at  a  small  cost)  has  been 


made  on  High  street.  A  beginning  has  been  made  to  widen 
Bow  street,  which  I  hope  will  be  carried  out  by  the  city  of  Bos- 
ton at  die  earliest  period.  Several  sewers  have  been  built  —  our 
public  buildings  have  been  kept  in  good  order  and  repair,  at  a 
very  much  less  cost  than  in  previous  years,  by  employing  one 
man  steadily  to  do  the  work — our  streets  have  been  kept  in  good 
repair  —  a  portion  of  Maiden  bridge  has  been  refloored  with 
timber,  and  it  has  been  lighted. 

I  believe  in  most  of  the  departments  the  money  has  been  wise- 
ly and  economically  expended. 

I  have  brought  to  your  notice  several  matters  showing  clearly 
where  frauds  have  been  committed,  in  previous  years,  upon  the 
city,  and  the  careless  way  in  which  the  city's  business  had  been 
done.  And  there  were  more  cases  of  similar  character  which  I 
intended  to  investigate,  but  I  found  a  disposition  on  the  part  of 
certain  members  in  the  Common  Council  to  throw  all  the  obsta- 
cles they  could  in  the  way  of  ferreting  out  and  showing  up  such 
frauds  ;  and  such  was  the  disposition  shown  by  certain  members 
in  the  board  to  screen  men  who  had  agreed  to  fulfil  their  obli- 
gations, and  indemnify  the  city  for  money  which  they  had  unlaw- 
fully received,  that  they  now  refuse  to  fulfil  their  agreements, 
and  the  only  way  the  city  can  indemnify  itself  is  by  litigation. 

On  the  13th  of  August,  1873,  tne  harbor  commissioners  pre- 
sented the  city  with  a  bill  of  $24,298.50,  for  displacement  of  tide 
water  in  Prison  point  bay.  I  met  them  three  times  upon  the 
matter,  and  so  far  convinced  them  that  it  was  an  unjust  and  ex- 
orbitant demand  that  they  reduced  it  to  $5,851.87^-.  On  the  2d 
of  December,  1873,  they  sent  a  note  stating  that  they  should 
proceed  to  make  the  above  assessment  if  the  city  did  not  appear 
and  object.  Consequently  on  the  3d  of  December  I  did  appear 
and  objected,  and  they  reduced  the  amount  $1,311.75  more, 
leaving  the  amount  at  $4,540. 12^-,  which  amount  they  have  asses- 
sed, and  the  city  of  Boston  will  pay,  or  contest,  as  they  see  fit. 
My  opinion  is,  that  they  cannot  collect  a  dollar  of  it  if  properly 
contested. 

An  act  was  passed  by  the  legislature  of  1872  to  appoint  a  com- 
mission to  consider  and  report  on  the  matter  of  draining  Miller's 
river  basin,  so  called.     The  commissioners  reported  in  favor  of 


draining  through  Charlestown,  by  way  of  Cambridge  street, 
emptying  out  in  Tufts'  dock  at  the  Neck.  When  the  matter 
came  before  the  committee  of  the  legislature  of  1873  I  appeared 
and  opposed  the  project  of  draining  through  Charlestown,  stat- 
ing that  it  would  be  a  great  injury  to  property  in  the  vicinity 
where  it  emptied,  and  that  they  had  no  right  to  divert  the  water 
from  its  natural  drainage  course,  bring  it  through  Charlestown, 
and  empty  it  upon  our  shores,  and  if  they  should  report  a  bill  in 
favor  of  so  doing  I  should  do  what  I  could  to'  defeat  it  in  the 
legislature,  and  failing  there  I  should  appeal  to  the  Supreme 
Court  to  protect  us. 

The  question  was  asked  where  I  thought  the  sewer  ought  to 
go.  I  answered  that  it  should  go  through  Bridge  street  and 
empty  into  the  swift  current  of  Charles  river. 

The  bill  was  subsequently  passed  to  lay  the  sewer  through 
Bridge  street.  Had  it  been  laid  through  Charlestown,  emptying 
into  the  Mystic,  at  the  Neck,  it  would  have  rendered  uninhabit- 
able all  the  territory  in  that  vicinity. 

The  appointment  of  the  day  police  as  truant  officers  has 
worked  very  satisfactorily.  It  has  brought  the  day  police  in  con- 
tact with  boys,  whereby  they  learn  their  names  and  residences, 
which  has  had  a  salutary  effect  upon  them  while  out  of  school  — 
conscious  that  the  police  know  who  they  are.  The  police  are 
also  led  to  inquire  about  boys  who  do  not  attend  school.  It  also 
gives  them  more  active  duties  to  perform,  which  I  believe  is 
beneficial.  But  it  is  impossible  to  stop  all  the  mischief  and 
prevent  all  the  depredations  of  boys ;  a  force  of  four  times  the 
number  of  day  police  could  not  do  it. 

I  believe  our  police  as  a  body  are  as  good  as  the  like  number 
in  any  place.  There  are  some  of  them  who  are  not  so  active 
as  they  ought  to  be.  But  when  we  consider  the  small  amount  of 
property  that  has  been  stolen  and  not  recovered,  we  must  con- 
clude that  the  police  are  tolerably  efficient  or  that  the  communi- 
ty is  very  honest.  The  whole  amount  of  property  stolen  that 
has  not  been  found  and  restored  in  Charlestown  for  the  year 
will  not  amount  to  four  hundred  dollars. 

An  order  passed  the  City  Council  June  16th,  1873,  to  have  a 
survey  and  plan  made  of  the  Old  Burying  Ground  (so  called), 


8 

locating  the  principal  paths,  tombs,  &c,  ascertaining  and  regis- 
tering the  names  of  persons  owning  tombs  ;  also,  for  the  city  to 
take  charge  and  have  the  custody  of  all  tombs  where  there  was 
no  owner  known.  The  plan  and  work  has  been  partly  completed 
under  the  direction  of  the  committee  on  burial  grounds.  I  hope 
the  city  of  Boston  will  see  that  this  order  is  fully  carried  out,  for 
there  is  an  interesting  history  connected  with  this  ancient  bury- 
ing place  that  should  be  fully  written  out  and  preserved.  Great 
credit  is  due  Mr.  Coburn  (President  of  the  Common  Council) 
for  the  time  he  has  spent  in  looTcing  after  and  keeping  the  ground 
in  good  condition.  He  has  also  taken  the  inscriptions  on  all 
the  tombs  and  gravestones  in  the  ground. 

The  change  made  in  bridge  commissioner  I  believe  was  a  very 
judicious  change,  securing  a  man  who  is  capable  and  faithful. 
His  first  act  was  to  stop  the  leakage  of  gas  which  has  been  going 
on  for  years.  This  item  alone  will  save  twice  the  amount  of 
his  yearly  salary.  It  is  estimated  that  $100  will  be  saved  on 
gas  in  the  month  of  January.  It  is  my  opinion  if  Mr.  Rice  had 
been  one  of  the  commissioners,  and  had  charge  of  the  rebuilding 
of  Warren  bridge,  he  would  have  saved  this  city  more  than  $10,- 
ooo,  or  $20,000  on  the  whole  work.  The  estimate  was  $78,000  ; 
they  actually  spent  over  $100,000  ! 

An  order  passed  the  Board  of  Aldermen  April  28th,  and  the 
Council  May  5th,  1873,  appropriating  a  sum  not  exceeding 
$1,000  to  subscribe  for  400  copies  of  the  Hon.  Richard  Frothing- 
ham's  History  of  Charlestown,  for  the  use  of  the  public  schools 
and  public  library,  and  for  increasing,  by  exchange,  the  histories 
of  other  cities  and  towns  in  the  library.  I  hope  the  work  will 
be  finished  up  -to  the  time  Charlestown  ceased  to  exist  as  an  in- 
dependent municipality.  It  will  be  an  important  and  valuable 
history  —  one  that  will  be  eagerly  sought  and  perused  by  future 
generations. 

An  order  passed  the  City  Council  September  25th,  1873, 
appropriating  $1,000  to  print  and  publish  a  manuscript  of.  valu- 
able collections  of  original  matter,  embracing  genealogies  of  all 
the  families  of  the  old  town  of  Charlestown,  inscriptions  upon 
the  gravestones  of  the  old  burial  ground,  abstracts  of  records  of 
courts,  registry  of  deeds  and  probate ;  abstracts  of  conveyances 


of  land  in  Charlestown,  &c.  It  is  a  collection  of  matter  which 
our  esteemed  fellow  citizen,  Thomas  B.  Wyman,  Esq.,  has  spent 
a  great  amount  of  time  in  collecting  together,  and  now  gener- 
ously makes  a  present  of  it  to  the  city  to  be  published.  It  will 
be  a  very  interesting  and  valuable  historical  work.  The  thanks 
of  the  city  are  due  him  for  his  generous  gift. 

Our  poor  have  been  well  cared  for.  The  board  of  overseers 
of  the  poor  have  properly  provided  for  all  cases  of  destitution 
and  want  that  .have  come  under  their  observation  or  knowledge. 

The  almshouse  can  truly  be  called  a  Home.  The  inmates 
have  an  abundance  of  food  of  good  quality  and  well  prepared, 
and  Colonel  Carnes  and  his  estimable  wife  do  everything  to  make 
the  inmates  of  the  home  comfortable  and  happy.  I  hope  the 
house  will  be  allowed  to  remain  as  it  now  is  till  the  city  of  Boston 
can  provide  as  good  a  home  elsewhere  for  the  unfortunate  poor. 

I  have  merely  touched  upon  some  of  the  many  duties  which 
have  devolved  upon  you,  and  glanced  at  the  work  that  has  been 
accomplished.  It  is  all  recorded  in  the  history  of  the  past  The 
citizens,  no  doubt,  are  divided  in  opinion  as  to  the  course  you 
have  pursued,  but  future  generations,  in  looking  over  the  records 
of  the  year's  doings,  may  glean  a  leaf  from  the  book  that  they 
may  think  worth  while  to  copy ;  and  those  who  condemn  this 
year  —  perhaps  from  some  selfish  motive — may  be  willing  in  the 
future  to  accord  to  you  honesty  of  purpose.  I  believe  I  am 
justified  in  saying  there  never  has  been  a  board  of  aldermen  in 
this  city  who  have  acted  more  conscientiously  than  this,  the  last 
board  of  aldermen  of  the  city  of  Charlestown.  Although  you 
have  differed  with  me  sometimes,  yet  I  believe  it  has  been  an 
honest  difference  of  opinion,  and  I  respect  it 

I  have  an  opinion  upon  most  matters  which  come  before  me, 
and  when  I  have  formed  an  opinion  there  must  be  convincing 
arguments  adduced  to  change  it ;  yet  I  like  to  hear,  and  respect 
the  opinions  of  others,  if  they  appear  to  be  honestly  formed  and 
expressed.  When  I  assumed  the  duties  of  Mayor  I  took  an 
oath  to  faithfully  discharge  and  perform  all  the  duties  incumbent 
upon  me  as  Mayor  of  the  City  of  Charlestown.  That  oath  I 
have  endeavored  to  keep,  and  in  no  instance  have  I  knowingly 
violated  it     I  have  conducted  the  affairs  of  the  city  as  I  should 


10 

if  they  had  been  my  own,  and,  so  far  as  I  could,  have  kept  a 
supervision  over  all  the  affairs  of  the  city,  and  when  I  saw  any- 
thing that  was  wrong  I  did  not  hesitate  to  speak  of  it,  and  put 
it  right  if  possible.  I  have  pursued  no  man  with  malice ;  but 
when  it  was  necessary  I  have  pursued  men  to  obtain  justice  for 
the  city  of  Charlestown. 

There  is  a  growing  disposition  on  the  part  of  those  having 
the  disbursing  of  the  people's  money  to  deal  with  a  liberal  hand  ; 
and  there  are  various  reasons  for  it.  It  is  a  very  cheap  way  of 
trying  to  establish  their  generosity  ;  they  buy  votes  for  a  re-elec- 
tion to  office,  and  they  are  always  praised  by  those  who  share  in 
their  beneficence. 

It  is  often  done  to  screen  their  own  hands,  which  are  being 
thrust  into  the  treasury  to  draw  out  their  share. 

Often  to  cover  their  own  meanness,  they  being  willing  to  be 
liberal  with  other  people's  money,  but  never  parting  with  a  cent 
of  their  own,  not  even  for  the  most  worthy  object  of  charity. 

I  could  go  on  naming  the  various  motives  which  induce  this 
liberality  in  disbursing  the  people's  money,  raised  by  taxation, 
and  which  the  constitution  and  laws  clearly  define  for  what  pur- 
poses it  shall  be  used — which  laws  are  often  wholly  disregarded 
by  many  who  are  elected  and  entrusted  with  the  disbursement. 

Have  I  not  said  enough  to  cause  honest  people  to  scrutinize 
the  motives  of  very  liberal  public  servants  ? 

But  I  believe  this  city  government  is  not  charged  with  being 
liberal  with  the  people's  money,  and  I  am  happy  that  we  are  not. 
I  believe  the  course  we  have  pursued  is  commended  by  all 
honest,  sensible  citizens,  and  I  here  assert,  that  no  man  of  in- 
telligence can  be  found  who  knows  how  the  business  of  the  city 
has  been  conducted  this  year  that  will  accuse  us  of  meanness, 
unless  it  is  those  who  have  either  had  their  hands  in  the  city 
treasury,  or  who  want  to  put  them  there. 

Monday,  the  first  Monday  in  January,  1874,  terminates  the  cor- 
porate municipal  independence  of  the  city  of  Charlestown. 

"Founded  Anno  Domini,  1628. 
"  Established  a  City  A.  D.  1847." 

On  the  city  seal  these  words  are  also  inscribed : 


It 

"  Liberty,  a  Trust  to  be  Transmitted  to  Posterity." 

But  on  the  7th  of  October,  1873,  100  years  after  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  tea  in  Boston  harbor,  the  first  overt  act  in  favor  of 
independence,  the  people  of  this  ancient  and  historic  municipal- 
ity virtually  said  we  are  not  capable  of  governing  ourselves,  and 
bowed  to  the  God  of  Mammon,  and  yielded  up,  with  their  inde- 
pendence forever,  that  trust  which  was  bequeathed  to  them  to 
transmit  to  posterity. 

It  is  an  act  over  which  monarchs  will  have  reason  to  re- 
joice, but  at  which  republics  will  weep  with  tears  of  bitterness 
and  despair.  Better  far  if  those  brave  men  had  never  left  their 
farms,  work  shops  and  professions,  sacrificing  their  lives,  for- 
tunes, comfort  and  all,  to  assemble  on  yonder  hill  on  the  17th  of 
June,  1775,  to  strike  the  first  decisive  blow  for  liberty  and  in- 
dependence. Better  if  the  declaration  of  independence  had  not 
been  made  on  the  4th  of  July,  1776,  if  in  less. than  100  years 
their  degenerate  sons  were  to  yield  up  that  trust,  bequeathed  to 
them  by  their  patriotic  fathers,  and  strike  a  more  decisive  blow 
to  undermine  and  break  down  the  republican  form  of  govern- 
ment than  they  struck  on  yonder  hill,  and  in  the  streets  of  Lex- 
ington and  Concord,  to  establish  it. 

But,  thank  God,  my  hands  are  clear  of  their  accursed  desecra- 
tion. For  more  than  thirty  years  have  I  fought  this  abominable 
scheme  to  undermine  this  republican  form  of  government,  and 
not  till  the  last  appeal  to  the  highest  tribunal  had  been  invoked, 
and  they  had  rendered  their  verdict  in  favor  of  the  unjust  act, 
did  I  give  up  the  ship. 

But  as  much  as  I  deplore  the  situation,  I  never  lose  sight  of  that 
bright  star  of  hope,  which  has  ever  buoyed  me  up  under  all  the 
dark  shades  of  adversity  which  have  crossed  my  path.  But  now 
that  the  act  is  consummated,  let  us  hope  for  the  best,  and  make 
the  best  of  it  we  can. 

Now  that  we  are  about  to  separate,  and  our  connection  as  the 
last  board  of  aldermen  of  the  city  of  Charlestown  is  about  to  be 
dissolved,  I  hope  that  each  and  all  of  us  will  have  the  satisfaction 
of  knowing  that  the  year  we  have  been  associated  together  has 


12 

been  spent  to  promote  the  best  interests  of  the  city  of  Charles- 
town  ;  and  when  the  books  are  opened  on  the  last  great  day 
of  accounts,  and  all  our  acts  and  doings  are  revealed,  I  trust 
you  will  be  greeted  with  the  pleasing  words :  Well  and  faithfully 
were  performed  the  duties  that  devolved  on  the  last  city  govern- 
ment of  the  city  of  Charlestown,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1873. 


